This invention relates to a printer. The invention has particular application in an instantaneous print, digital camera. More particularly the invention relates to a separating device for the printer.
The print engine of the present invention utilizes a page width printhead for printing an image on print media passing the printhead.
The term xe2x80x9cpage widthxe2x80x9d means that the printhead prints one line at a time on the print media without traversing the print media, or rastering as the print media moves past the printhead.
The print media is supplied to the printhead from a roll of the print media. Accordingly, once an image has been printed on the print media it is necessary to separate that piece, containing the image, from the remainder of the roll.
While the camera with which the print engine is used may alert a user not to pull the print media before the piece containing the image has been separated, a problem could arise if this warning were ignored.
According to the invention, there is provided a separating device for a print engine, the separating device separating a piece of print media from a supply of print media after printing of an image by a printhead of the print engine on said piece of print media, the separating device including
a separating means which acts on the print media to part said piece from the remainder of the supply of print media;
a carrier on which the separating means is carried;
a displacement means which acts on the carrier to displace the carrier; and
an arm of resiliently flexible material which mounts the separating means to the carrier, the arm being configured to facilitate resilient bending out of the path of the print media of the separating means if the print media is forced prior to completion of a separating operation to inhibit damage being caused to the separating means.
The separating means may be a cutter wheel rotatably mounted proximate a first end of the arm, the cutter wheel abutting against a bearing surface of a housing of a printhead assembly of a print engine to cut the print media in use to separate said piece from the supply of print media.
The printhead may be a page width printhead and the cutter wheel may be displaceable in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the printhead.
The carrier may be a mounting block to which an opposed end of the arm is attached. The mounting block may be of machined metal, or a synthetic plastics material and said opposed end of the arm may be attached to the mounting block by heat stakes which are melted to retain the opposed end of the arm in position.
The mounting block may be mounted on the displacement means to traverse a width of the print media.
The displacement means may comprise a worm gear on which the mounting block is mounted, the worm gear being mounted in a chassis of the print engine, said chassis inhibiting rotation of the mounting block relative to the worm gear.
The arm may be of spring steel.